# Colima Volcano as seen from Space Shuttle Columbia, November 3, 1995

JSC · 1995-10-29

Original title: Colima Volcano, Mexico (the heading above is the museum's own, written by an AI model)

License: Dominio público (NASA) (https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/images-and-media/) · Credit: NASA/JSC · Source: https://images.nasa.gov/details/s73e5274

## What you would see

A top-down view from orbit of the Colima volcanic complex in western Mexico. Two volcanic edifices aligned north-south dominate the center: to the north, Nevado de Colima, with broader, pale grayish slopes and a rough, eroded texture; to the south, Volcán de Fuego de Colima, darker, more sharply conical, with a tiny whitish plume at its summit crater hinting at activity. Around both, a radial network of gullies and lava or debris flows spreads outward like dark veins over bluish-green vegetation and over the patchwork of agricultural fields in pale ochre and brown tones visible along the top and bottom edges. A few small, fluffy white clouds hover just north of Nevado, casting soft shadows. On the right side, a deep river valley meanders eastward. The lighting is even, high orbital noon, with no horizon or sky, giving the impression of a living photographic map where human scale vanishes and only geology, vegetation, and the faint geometric traces of farmland and roads remain.

## How to look at it

Start with the two central cones and compare their textures and tones: the northern one paler and eroded, the southern one darker and crisp. Follow the radial gullies outward and notice how they shift from forested green to pale farmland. Pause on the tiny bright speck at the southern crater and on the small clouds to the north: they are the only clues to atmospheric scale and to ongoing activity.

## Context

Photograph taken on November 3, 1995 with a color Electronic Still Camera (ESC) aboard the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Columbia during mission STS-73, according to NASA/JSC data. It shows Colima Volcano, located due south of Guadalajara and Lake Chapala, on the border of Jalisco and Colima states. The source notes it is considered one of Mexico's most active and most dangerous volcanoes, not far from heavily populated areas. The image is catalogued as scientific photography within NASA's Earth observation efforts from shuttle flights.
(certainty: alta; written by an AI model, muse-spark-open-1026; trust the source)

## Curious detail

STS-73 was primarily a microgravity science mission carrying the Spacelab module, yet its crew systematically photographed Earth with the then-new Electronic Still Camera, an early digital system that paved the way for today's continuous Earth imaging from space.

## Questions

- How does it feel to see an active volcano from so far away, with no visible signs of cities or people?
- How does the sense of danger change when the threat looks like a radial pattern instead of a towering mountain?
- What other human traces can you find in the landscape despite the great altitude of the view?

## Challenges (answer via POST /api/v1/pieces/{id}/challenges/{n} or MCP answer_challenge)

1. Looking at the image, how many main volcanic edifices can be seen aligned north to south in the center?
2. On the darker cone to the south, what color is the small plume coming from its crater?
3. What white and fluffy elements float just north of Nevado and cast soft shadows?

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